AN: This is the result of too much caffeine and not enough sleep. Seriously screwed up plot.

Disclaimer: You not sue me, I not maim you.

Dedicated to: *insert sentimentalities here*

A Better Man

Chapter One: A Better Man

Send someone to love me

I need to rest in arms

Keep me safe from harm

In pouring rain

- Better Man, Robbie Williams

Draco flinched as Alastor Moody's magical eye swept over him. "Is this all true?" he growled. Draco nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Moody's normal eye scanned the roll of parchment, but the magical eye was still fixed on Draco, who rubbed the bruise on his forehead, and tried not to fidget.

"So, let me get this straight. You, Draco Thomason Magnum Malfoy, are requesting a Paladin."

"Yes, sir."

"Reasons would be?"

"Personal protection from outside Dark forces, sir…" Draco looked down at his hands, while Moody stared at him calculatingly. "You went against your father's will, did you, boy?" he asked, and Draco flinched once more.

"Yes."

"He asked you to become a Death Eater, didn't he, boy?"

"He ordered me to become a Death Eater… sir."

"And you said?"

"No…"

The last word was barely a whisper, but that was all Moody needed to hear.

"And so they're after you now, boy?"

"Yes. All of them."

"Them?"

"The other Death Eaters, sir."

"Other?"

Wordlessly, Draco pushed back the sleeve on his left arm, revealing a great number of bruises, and one large, extremely ugly black mark. The Dark Mark.

"He had enough time to burn this into me, before I escaped…" Draco's voice was noticeably shaky. Moody stared at it. "That is a connection to the Dark Lord, boy…" he stared fiercely up at Draco. "You could be tracked down with that."

"I had it Detached, sir… it's only the black mark that won't come off…" Draco suddenly sounded very tired. "Ah, but that must have cost you. Detaching a Mark is extremely painful, both physically and mentally… and do you realize that you will be experiencing bouts of…" Moody frowned. "I'm no mediwizard, boy, but I know that Detached Dark Marks send the wearer into these periods of intense pain."

Draco sighed. "I know that too, sir."

Moody suddenly straightened up, as if carrying new respect for this young man, who dared to go against the Dark Lord, and suffered through a highly dangerous and painful magical procedure to insure their safety. "Well, I'll be assigning you a Paladin… the two of you will be Relocated to an Unplottable piece of island. She will have open communication with us, the rest of her Aurors, and the Ministry twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I assure you that she is highly trained, and is one of our most skilled Aurors in three hundred years." Moody pulled out a long list of names.

"Er… sir? She?" Draco looked mildly affected by the fact that a female would be taking care of him for the rest of his life. Moody nodded. "The woman we have in mind has been with us since she graduated from Hogwarts, and she has shown us extreme skill since then. She's very trustworthy… and in accordance to your…" Moody glanced at Draco, and almost smiled. "past concerning this woman, I don't think any monkey business will be at hand."

The Auror suddenly became business-like once more, shuffling the papers and standing up from his desk. Draco looked down at his shoes, scuffed from his wild scramble through the Forbidden Forest to get outside Hogwarts grounds, where he Apparated to the Ministry office. Who could "she" be? What past… I might have known her in Hogwarts… ugh, what if it's Millicent Bulstrode?

Draco grimaced slightly, and then murmured a silent "ouch", reaching up to his face to touch his swollen lip, his bruised eye, the cuts on his cheek. Moody glanced at him. "I'll call your Paladin in now. She could begin her patrol by showing off her extensive medical expertise."

Moody raised his wand, and Draco instantly ducked, but instead, a white something shot out of it and darted out of his office door. A few minutes passed by…

All of a sudden, a young woman dashed in the office, out-of-breath and clutching at a small suitcase. "You called, Moody, sir?"

Moody nodded at her. "Good afternoon. I want you to meet Draco Malfoy. You will be his Paladin for as long as necessary, and I trust that you will do your best for his protection. I want you to escort him now to the hospital wing, where you will treat his injuries, and then you will be Relocated to a cottage in hiding." Moody motioned for Draco to stand up. Draco, who had his back to the door all that while, stood up and turned to face the woman.

"Mister Malfoy, she will be your Paladin. This is Miss Hermione Granger."